THE STUDY -J 



Shakespeare's King Henry 
The Fifth 

Studies of the Historical Plays of Shakespeare 



BY 

H. A. DAVIDSON, M„ A. 



CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



THE STUDY 



OS- 



King Henry Fifth 



Studies of the Historical Plays of Shakespeare, No, 4 



H. A. DAVIDSON, M. A. 



MADISON, WISCONSIN 
JULY, 1908 



•Is 






Library of GoftiGSEss| 

Two Oopjes Rec^eived I 



Cop.yrijiiit tfiiry l! 



Copyright 1908 

By H. A. Davidson 

Author and editor of the Study-biuide Peries, author 

"Literary Study for Busy People," "The 

Gift of Genius," etc. 



CONTENTS 



FAQE 

Tlie Study of the Historical Plays of Shakespeare 5 

The Study of the Drama 11 

Note-Book Work 15 

The Purpose of the General Topics 18 

References for the Study of the Historical Plays of 
Shakespeare : 

Required Books 19 

English History 20 

Life and Times of Shakespeare 21 

The Dramatic Art of Shakespeare 22 

Theory of Dramatic Art 23. 

Reference Books 23. 

Supplementary Reading 22,. 

The Reading of Criticism 24 

The Study of Shakespeare's Henry Fifth 25.. 

Topics for Study: 

Section I. Preliminary 25. 

Section II. The Call to Arms 27 

Section III. Setting Forth 30 

Section IV. The English and The French 33 

Section V. The Field of Agincourt 37 

Section VI. The Fruit of Victory 39 

Section VII. General Topics 40 



The Study of the Historical Plays of 
Shakespeare 

H. A. DAVIDSON 

This guide for the study of Shakespeare's historical plays 
is arranged for practical ends. No attempt has been made to 
specialize the study in any one direction. The aim is rather 
to secure intelligent reading and thorough familiarity with the 
text of the plays and at the same time to aid effectively in the 
study of the drama as a form of literary art. 

The objects which have determined the selection and ar- 
rangement of topics for study may be summarized as follows: 

It is intended to aid students, first, in reading with close 
attention, and in retaining, from scene to scene, the dramatic 
significance of all that has preceded, that, as the plot develops, 
it may carry the imagination steadily forward to those •com- 
plex crises of dramatic action in which many conflicting mo- 
tives mingle. 

Secondly, to aid in understanding the dramatic relation and 
significance of plot and counter-plot, of mingling tendencies, 
and forces. 

Thirdly, to aid readers in catching, in each scene and act 
the true significance of the characters that carry the action.. 
In the dramas of Shakespeare interest always centers in the.- 



action, Scenes are not arranged for the purpose of presenting 
characters, but 'characters are never mere lay figures brought 
together for the purpose of acting. Words and acts spring 
profoundly and intimately from what the persons are; acts 
seem to reveal depths and complexities of human nature such 
that the qualities of men and women predetermine events. 

Fourthly, the topics for study are arranged for the purpose 
of leading students indirectly, but effectively, to an under- 
standing of the principles of dramatic art as manifest in the 
writing and arrangement of plays. 

Fifthly, little emphasis has been placed, in topics for study, 
upon reference work. A few books of reference have been sug- 
gested in the bibliography; these should be used constantly 
as aids, whenever the reader's familiarity with the vocabulary, 
syntax, or widely varied illustrative material in use in Shakes- 
peare's day is insufficient for clear and full apprehension of 
the dramatist's meaning. A limited vocabulary, or unfamiliar- 
ity with the literary conceits and phrases of the Elizabethan 
period might easily deprive the reader of a just understanding 
of the text and, certainly, of appreciation of the rich play 
of fancy, the ready wit, and the glancing intelligence of the 
master mind of the period. The study of the language and 
the literary qualities of Shakespeare's text as an end, should 
be reserved for the class-room, or the seminar, in connection 
with an adequate library and under competent guidance. 

Sixthly, no adequate study of the sources of Shakespeare's 
plays is possible apart from the resources of libraries. Such 
references to sources as are found in this Study-Guide are lim- 
ited in scope and intended only for the illustration of the 



dramatist's skill and method in adapting old material so that, 
in the result, the borrowed parts assume new and more sig- 
nificant meanings and contribute to a whole of high dramatic 
value. This topic, when pursued as an end by students of 
competent training and scholarship, is rich in the reward it 
offers. 

The Arden edition of the text suggested for use, contains 
the material for an elementary study of Shakespeare's rythm 
and lines. Further study of this topic is left to the initiative 
of Individual students, or the guidance of instructors. Many- 
subjects of special study, not touched upon in this guide, will 
sruggest themselves to Shakespearean scholars, but they do not 
fall within the scope and purpose of this little book. For the 
most part, also, such subjects are profitable only for advanced 
students who need no other gulcle than the purpose in hand, 
and who are abundantly able to avail themselves of the ripe 
scholarship of those who have given years to the special topic 
that claims their interest. 

It remains to say a word of apology for the mingling of the 
study of English history with the study of Shakespeare's plays. 
In a narrow sense, the student of the historical plays of Shakes- 
peare has no concern with the period of English history in 
which the events of the play belong. He asks from what source 
Shakespeare drew his material and, when he has found the 
chronicle, or the earlier play, used by the dramatist, he directs 
Ms attention to the discovery of the selection and adaptation 
by which the new play was arranged. The Shakespearean 
scholar is, theoretically, impregnable in his position that we 
should inquire only for the contemporary historical source of 



the characters and events used by the dramatist as the basis 
of the scenes and acts he imagined. In practice, this is usu- 
ally interpreted narrowly and, as a result, attention is cen- 
tered upon the Chronicle or 'Lives,' or earlier play, from, 
which the dramatist borrowed. This examination fails to re- 
veal a most important element in Shakespeare's work, one, in 
truth, of greater significance than any single source of con- 
versations, or scenes, or stage arrangement. Into his adapta- 
tions of old chronicle-plays or histories, Shakespeare infused 
something derived from no one of them, — a new relation of 
parts, a deeper understanding of political events, an interpre- 
tation of history as he knew it, that seems almost prophetic. 
To the question of how he came upon this wide comprehension 
of the meaning and trend of events extending over several 
generations, it is an easy answer to suggest the genius of the 
greatest dramatist the world has known, but a closer analysis 
shows that Shakespeare's special gifts lay, first, in his exceed- 
ing readiness and versatility in absorbing phases of the life, 
belief, and knowledge of his own generation; secondly, in his 
power of intellectual detachment from his own experiences so 
that he both shared the emotions and experiences of his fellow 
men, and also compared, related, and judged; and thirdly, in 
such gifts of mind or temperament that he unconsciously 
grasped the fundamental and permanent principles of drama- 
tic art. The first of these qualities made him the great ex- 
ponent of the minds and passions of all men in all ages; the 
second made him a practical student of political and historical 
events, and enabled him to interpret their meaning; the third, 
his supreme gift as a dramatist, enabled him to present the 



rich fruitage of his mental activity in an art-form of perma- 
nent and living vitality. The result is that in his interpreta- 
tion of history, in his understanding of men, or of times, 
Shakespeare often outruns his own historical knowledge. In 
King Richard Second, for instance, he seizes upon the great 
transitions taking place in that age and by a stroke of genius 
he relates them, both to the theories and practices of royal pre- 
rogative in the reigns of the Plantaganet kings of England,, 
and to the rise of those forces that, long after, in the reigns of 
Henry VIII. and of Elizabeth, brought forth the new England 
of modern times. 

Of all this, the student of Holinshed's Chronicle or of The 
Trou'blesome Raigne, or of Marlowe's Edward Second, learns 
little; but if, presently, he turn to modern histories and, by 
means of the best, inquires what the underground forces were 
that shaped the destinies of the English people between the 
time of King John and that of Richard Second, he will find 
later, on comparison, that Shakespeare has included in his 
play almost every one. The demands of the laborers, the far 
reaching results of the Black Death, the changes in industry, 
the rise of a commercial class, the passing of the power of the 
armed knight and the decay of the walled town, the new 
demands of the Commons, the attitude of the church, are all 
touched upon. To the careful student of history, the play 
seems to embody the complex elements of unrest that marked 
the age, while Richard and Hereford respectively stand for 
the earlier and the later conceptions of kingship in England. 
The critic and the historian seem to be writing from essen- 
tially similar points of view when Professor Hereford speaks 



10 



of "ttie political problem of the history,— that struggle be- 
tween legitimacy and aptitude which the nation so rapidly 
settled in favor of the latter," as the key note of the situation 
In the play, and the historian. Bishop Stubbs, in his discussion 
of the causes of Richard's downfall, uses these words, 
"Henry IV. coming to the throne as he did, made the validity 
(of a parliamentary title indispensable to royalty; and Richard 
'II., in vacating the throne, withdrew the theory, on which 
lie had tried to act and by which he had been wrecked, of the 
supremacy of prerogative."! 

Shakespeare was familiar with the administration of af- 
fairs and the relation of classes in the age of Elizabeth and 
*drew, at any moment, unconsciously, upon a fund of knowledge 
"•which could be paralleled in our time only by most thorough 
'and painstaking study of the history, ideas, and political 
"'•events of the age in which he lived. In a day when scenic 
igpresentation was a chief means of communicating ideas and 
ilinformation passed from group to group by word of mouth, it 
' seems probable that the public may have been more familiar 
with the important events of national history than in the 
present age of many books. This common fund of knowledge, 
familiarly held in mind, Shakespeare counted upon in his au- 
'dlence, and it is precisely this background for the apprecia- 
tion and enjoyment of the historical plays that the modern 
reader lacks. It seems certain, then, that such a study of his- 
tory as will in a measure provide a substitute for this vital, 
sub-conscious familiarity of the men and women who first saw 
Tthese plays with the present and the traditional past of their 



^ Sec. 269, chap, xvi., v. 2, Stubbs', Constitutional History of Eng- 
iland. 



11 



own age, must contribute much to a better understanding of 
the dramas. 

It is also frankly admitted that this guide is intended to 
serve a double purpose. Shakespeare's profound insight and 
his gift of interpretation suggest the wisdom of combining the 
study of his dramas with study of the history and times of 
which he wrote. For readers who seek culture and a better 
understanding of history and of literature, rather than special 
scholarship, the study, pari-passu, of literature and of the 
ages of which it is the most intimate, often the most reliable 
expression, is an incomparable means of attainment. 

THE STUDY OF THE DRAMA 

Aristotle defines tragedy as "an imitation of an action that 
is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude." The defini- 
tion, with modifications, will serve for other plays than trage- 
dies. A drama must present an imitation of an action which 
is complete, well arranged, and of purport calculated to im- 
press or interest. Aristotle's definitions are, historically, the 
sources from which our theories of dramatic art have been 
derived, and there is still no better beginning of study of the 
form and structure of the drama than parts of the Poetics. 
The following definitions, briefiy quoted from Butcher's trans- 
lation, are fundamental in an understanding of the principles 
of dramatic sequence and unity of action: 

"A beginning is that which does not itself follow any thing 
by causal necessity, but after which something is or naturally 
comes to be. An end, on the contrary, is that which itself 
naturally follows some other thing, either by necessity or in 



12 



the regular course of events, but has nothing following it. 
A middle is that which follows something as some other thing 
follows it. A well constructed plot, therefore, must neither 
begin nor end at haphazard, but conform to the type here 
described." * * * 

* * * , "The plot being an imitation of an action, must 
imitate one action and that a whole, the structural union of 
the parts being such that, if any one of them is displaced or 
removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed. For that 
which may be present or absent without being perceived, is 
not an organic part of the whole." 

The following suggestions are designed for the women of 
study clubs, readers, and isolated students who seek aid in 
critical study. Students working in classes with an instruc- 
tor and having access to discussions of dramatic art should 
follow other methods, or use these suggestions as an adjunct 
to broader and more analytic work. 

After the preliminary study indicated for each play: 

I. For each act, fix firmly in mind the leading characters 
and note for each, — 

a. Name and relationship. 

b. Leading facts in the life of the person, if historical, 

antecedent to the beginning of the play, 

c. Character and role among comrades, antecedent to the 

beginning of the play. 
Note. — The reader should become so familiar with these before enter 
ing on the study of the act that, in answer to the calling of names, 
she can make ready response with brief descriptions and character 
sketches. 

II. At the beginning of each act, fix firmly in the mind 



13 



time and place, and for every act after the first, notice the 
time interval between the close of the previous act and the 
beginning of the next; ask (a) What is supposed to have oc- 
curred in this interval? (b) How is this interval managed 
or accounted for, in the setting, or acting of the play? 

III. At the conclusion of the reading or study of each act 
make a plot outline which will show, — 

a. By scenes, the purpose of each. 

b. The main purpose or subject of the act, as a division 

of the play. 

c. The beginning of the plot, if the act is the first; in 

later acts, the situation which serves as beginning 
of the act. 

d. The relation of each scene, in order, to the main pur- 

pose, or plot of the act; that is, the part, or step in 
the plot of the act fulfilled by the scene. 

e. In each act, the most significant moment, correspond- 

ing in a general way to climax in the play. 

f. The conclusion of the act. 

g. The threads of interest, or unfinished sequelae, at the 

conclusion of the act; these will be clues to follow, 
and a main source of interest in succeeding acts. 
The development of the unfinished sequelae will 
also be a test of the unity of the play and reveal the 
skill of the dramatist. 

Note. — The "Topics for Study" for each act will guide to ths selec- 
tion of the true plot sequence, and the "General Topics" are arranged 
to give a similar summary and critical estimate for the play as a 
whole. 

The following brief statement of the theoretical organiza- 
tion of tragic drama is not intended to take the place of books 



14 



on this subject, or as a guide for special students. For readers 
who have no books on the theory of dramatic art, it will be 
an aid. Historical plays are not necessarily organized in the 
form of the tragic drama, but this type has so manifestly in- 
fluenced the form and arrangement of all plays that the un- 
derstanding of it is essential for study of dramatic structure 
in any of its varied forms. 
In the theoretical drama it is supposed: 

I. That in act 1 we should find an introduction to the main 
group of the dramatis personae, including the central figure 
or hero; a clear indication of essential facts such as time, 
place, and antecedent events necessary for understanding pres- 
ent action; the beginning of the plot, or dramatic action, and 
an indication of the problem, including some hint of every 
element working in this main plot toward an end. 

II. That in act 2 the counter-plot should develop; that is 
complications, difiiculties, and dangers impending to thwart 
the action initiated in act 1 should be fully indicated, together 
with the dramatis personae among whom they originate. 

III. That in act 3 we should have the bringing together 

of these two groups of persons, of these opposing plots, and a 

struggle of forces, not apparently decisive, but indicating with 

certainty to all except the participants the final result. 

Note. — In a five-act tragedy, the climax is usually in the third act 
It is not diflScult to give a theoretical definition of the climax but the 
determination of the climax, or moment of finality, in a given action 
is often puzzling. Climax may be tested by the question whether 
every element of determining force in the result has yet come into 
full play ; for, if new elements are still to enter, then the issue ia 
not yet fully joined, — a moment still more doubtful may arrive, ot 
reversal may take place ; but if determining elements have not yei 
become effective, then the issue still hangs in the balance, and the 



15 



action has not yet come to a true climax. The term climax is 
often used for the dramatic scene in which the final issue is joined, 
for the moments of intense suspense preceding the arl^itration of fate, 
but the true climax lies In the brief space of time that marks the- 
rmal turning ; before that breathless instant, diminishing effort still- 
rests upon some unexhausted source of hope ; after it, though bat- 
tle rages and counter-plots arise, the end is sure, and when it comes, 
one looking back sees in what moment it was written down In 
the book of fate and realizes that since that time action has beeu. 
no more than the sulisidence of expended forces, the after results 
flowing from decisive acts or incidents 

IV. In act 4, the dramatis personae, often unaware, them- 
selves, that the decision of fate has been reached, take heart 
of courage to renew the struggle. The on-looker, although he 
has understood the trend of events more clearly than those 
who take part in them, must still be almost persuaded when, 
he sees the reviving courage and strength of the protagonists 
that they have yet a fighting chance. Upon this act depends, 
in great part, the high character of the tragedy In the end. 
The braver the effort, the more unsubdued the spirit, the bet- 
ter the muster against fate, the more pitiful the downfall' 
which reveals the overwhelming odds, the predetermined 
event, the irremediable ruin. 

V. The final act of the tragic drama returns, from its first 
moment, to the expectation of catastrophe with which the 
third act closed and is, in reality, the bringing to view of the? 
ruin then wrought, in all its results. 

NOTE-BOOK WORK 

In the study of the drama the note book is for the purpose- 
of preserving for constant use outlines, tables, and references. 
Information found in books should be cross-referenced in the- 
text of the plays, but collections of facts gathered from many 



16 



sources are more accessible and useful when organized in the 
form of brief outlines in note-books. The editor of the Arden 
edition of King John has included a most useful leaf from 
his own note-book, p. 143. — Chronicle of the Reign of King 
John. 

To be useful, the note-book must be paged, and cross refer- 
ences to it placed in the text. Note-book work of a more ex- 
tended kind should be required of students working in 
classes with the aid of special libraries and instruction. 

A. PRELIMINARY TOPICS 

I. A list of the Norman and Plantagenet Kings of England, 
with dates of reigns. 

II. Geneological tables arranged as In Green's Shorter 
History of England. 

a. Showing the descent of the Kings of England, from 

"William I., to Henry IV. 

b. Of the family of Henry II., showing children, mar- 

riages, and descendants, as far as necessary, for 
the dram-atis personae of these plays. 

c. Of the family of Edward III., in the same way. 

d. Of the family of John of Gaunt, showing the chil- 

ren of Blanche of Lancaster, and also the children 
of Katharine Sw^ynford; that is. the family of the 
Beaiiforts. 
HI, Preliminary to the study of King Richard Second, 
make a chronicle of the important events of his reign simi- 
lar to the one given in the Arden edition for the reig^Ei of 
John. 



17 



IV. Biographical notes of characters: 

These are for historical characters found among the drcb- 
matis personae and are a means of securing that familiar 
acquaintance with them as individuals which is essential to 
Imaginative reading of the drama. 

V. In the text of King John, mark in each act all passages 
which show the indebtedness of Shakespeare to the earlier 
play. The Troublesome Raigne of King John. This will be 
preparation for the topics of Section IX, p. 43. 

B. TOPICS FOR THE STUDY OF THE PLAY 

I. Keap, by acts, from stage directions, notes, etc., a time 
analysis, and statement of place, etc., for each act of each 
play. This may be kept in the text by noting at the begin- 
ning of each act: 

a. The date of the beginning, or the interval since the 

last act closed. 

b. The time of the act, as far as given. 

c. The place where the scenes are supposed to be. For 

instance, Richard, Second, act 1. Time, April 18, 
1398; place, Richard's palace, Windsor. 

II. Cross-referencing and annotating: 

Essential facts which should be borne in mind may be added 
by note or reference, in the text; for instance, act 1, Richard 

Second, note in the margin for name of John of Gaunt 

horn in IS'/O ; note for King Richard, aet. 31 years, etc. Wtien- 
ever an item is found by searching, a reference to book and 
page should be added in the text, even if it be to the notes of 
the edition in use. 
2 



18 



THE PURPOSE OF THE GENERAL TOPICS. 

The general topics for the study of the historical plays 
of Shakespeare have a double object. They are intended 
as a summary and review of the detailed study just con- 
cluded, and they should serve to emphasize the relation of 
parts, and give a broad view of the dramatic significance, 
power and charm of the play. Topics for these purposes will 
be found in the first division of General Topics. 

Critical study must derive its value from intimate knowl- 
edge of detail and close study of, parts, but unless, after a 
time, the fragmentary results of such study are used in pur- 
suit of some definite end as the basis of comparison, infer- 
'cnce, conclusion, the student is little advanced intellectually, 
Iby all his toil. The second division of general topics is 
added for the use of students and classes having access to 
special libraries and time for extended and critical study. 
These topics are suitable either for written papers or for 
brief discussions in which carefully organized material gath- 
ered from previous reading and study is used as data. 
Topics requiring special library facilities may be omitted when 
these are lacking, or when the study of the play is under- 
taken in clubs for purposes of general culture. 

The topics suggested for critical study do not include even 
•B. small part of the many interesting subjects suggested by 
■each one of Shakespeare's plays. A few have been selected 
which seem especially pertinent and fruitful. Others, it Is 
"hoped, may appear in later editions of The Study of the His- 
torical plays of Shakespeare; such are. The stage presentation 



i^ 



of the play in Shakespeare's time, Shakespeare's usage in verse, 
rime, etc.. Study of the literary qualities of Shakespeare's plays 
in relation to the conceits, forms of expression, etc., of the age 
of Elizabeth. Topics for critical study of the dramatist's work 
as author, stage manager, etc., for study of the sources of his 
play, and for advanced study of the drama of Shakespeare in 
its great qualities have not been included; such study is, in 
its nature, comparative, and should be undertaken only after 
careful study of a considerable number of plays. 



REFERENCES FOR THE STUDY OF THE HISTORICAL 
PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE* 

REQUIRED BOOKS FOR STUDY OF KING HENRY 

FOURTH, PART I AND II AND KING HENRY 

FIFTH 

Shakespeare, W. King Henry Fourth. Part I. Arden 
edition. Heath, 25c. 

The Arden edition is chosen because the notes and introduc- 
tions srive especial attention to plot and dramatic arrangement. 

King Henry Fourth. Part II 

I'art II. ha.-i not been edited In the Arden edition. The 
Eversley edition, edited by C. H. Hereford and published by 
Macmillan, is recommended if available. The voiumes of the 
English edition are so'd separately at .$1.50 each. The Ameri- 
can reprint is sold only in sets, and is listed, eleven volumes, 
!?1U. Any good text will serve, such as the Cambridge, Temple, 
oi- Laraer Temple. 

King Henry Fifth. Arden edition. Heath, 25c. 

King Henry V. Richard Mansfield's Acting Ver- 
sion. McClure, 50c. 



* Prices quoted are list prices. Libraries secure the usual dis- 
counts on these prices, and individuals can sometimes obtain reduc- 
tion. Books not available through regular dealers are marked Ovt of 
print. These may be found in the public library, or may be picked 
up second hand. 



20 

Wendell, B. William Shakespeare. Scribner, $1.75. 
Warner, B. E. English. History in Shakespeare's Plays. 

Longmans, $1.75. 
Gairdner, J. Houses of Lancaster and York. (Epochs 

of History) Scribner, $1. 
Church, A. J. Henry Fifth. (English Men of Action) 

Macmillan, 75c. 
Kingsford, C. L. Henry V., the Typical Mediaeval Hero. 

(Heroes of the Nation) Putnam, $1.35. 

BOOKS FOR THE LIBRARY 

ENGLISH HISTORY 

Norgate, K. John Lackland. (Heroes of the Nations) Put- 
nam, $1.50. 

Stubbs, W. The Early Plantagenets. (Epochs of History) 
Scribner, $1. 

Green, Mrs. J. R. Henry the Second. (Twelve English 
Statesmen) Macmillan, 75c. 

Maurice, C. E. Stephen Langton. (English Popular Leaders) 
King, 7s. 6d. (Out of print.) 

Bateson, M. Mediaeval England. (Story of Ithe Nations) 
Putnam, $1.35. 

Gairdner, J. & Spedding, J. Studies in English History. 
Douglas, 12s. (Out of print.) 
For the chapters on the Lollards. 

Bright, J. F. English History, v. 1. Longmans, $1.50. 

Green, Mrs. J. R. English Towns in the Fifteenth Century. 
2v. Macmillan, $5. 

Trevelyan, G. M. England in the Age of Wycliffe. Long- 
mans, $4. 

Wylie, J. H. English History under Henry the Fourth. 4v. 
Longmans, $20. 
For the trial and deposition of Pichard II. 

Pearson, C. H. History of England During the Early and 
Middle Ages. 2v." Bell, 30s. (Out of print.) 

Stubbs, W. Constitutional History of England. 3v. Long- 
mans, each $2.60. 

For ITeni'y T^" pnd V, v. .3. Ti^e analysis of the character of 
Henry V is the best estimate of his ability as a ruler. 

Ramsay, J. H. The Angevin Empire. Macmillan, $3.25. 



21 



Gairdner, J. The Houses of Lancaster and York. (Epochs 
of Historj) Scribner, $1. 

Oman, C W. C. Warwick, the Kingmaker. (English Men 
of Action) Macmillan, 75c. 

Stone, W. G. BoGweil-, cd. Shakespeare's Holinshed. Duf- 
field, ?3.50. 

Hall, H. Court Life under the Plantaganets. Button, $2.50. 

Cutts, E. L. Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages, 
Virtue, 15s. (Out of print.) 

Gardiner, S. R. Atlas of English History. Longmans, $1.50. 

• • A good wall map of England. 

W. & A. K. Johnsons's is the best and may now be obtained 
in this countrv for a moderate pric-e. 

Traill, H. D. & Mann, J. S. ed. Social England. 6v. Put- 
nam, each $5. 

For the England of llenrj- IV and V, v. 2 and 3. 

LIFE AND TIMES OF SHAKESPEARE 

Lee, S. Life of Shakespeare. Macmillan, $1.75. 

Raleigh, W. A. Shakespeare (English Men of Letters.) 
Macmillan, 75c. 

Brandes, G. William Shakespeare, a Critical Study. Mac- 
millan, $2.60. 

Wendell, B. William laflakespeare. Scribner, $1.75. 

Mabie, H. W. William Shakespeare, Poet, Dramatist and 
Man. Macmillan, $2. 

Bagehot, W. Shakespeare, the Man. McClure, 50c. 

Ward, H. S. & C. Shakespeare's Town and Times. Lane, $3. 

Ordish, T. F. Shakespeare's London. Macmillan, $1.23. 

Stephenson, H. T. Shakespeare's London. Holt, $2. 

Winter, W. Shakespeare's England. Macmillan, 75c. 

Hales, J. W. The Age of Shakespeare. Macmillan. 

Warner, C. D. The People for Whom Shakespeare Wrote. 
Harper, $1.25. 

Creighton, M. Queen Elizabeth. (Epochs of History) 
Scribner, $1. 

Wheatley, H. B. The Story of London. (Mediaeval Towns) 
Macmillan, $1.75. 

One of the best books on London at the time of the histori- 
cal events represented in these plays. 



22 



Hall, H. Society in the Elizabethan Age. Ed. 3. Button, 

$2..50. 
Ordish, T. F. Early London Theaters. Macmillan, $2. 
Morley, H. English Writers, v. 10. Cassell, $1.50. 

V. 10 contains Shakespeare and his times. 
Lee, S. Stratford-on-Avon. New illus. ed. Lippincott, $1.50. 

THE DRAMATIC ART OF SHAKESPEARE 

Lounsbury, T. R. Shakespeare as a Dramatic Artist. Scrio- 
ner, $3. 

Text of Shakespeare. Scribner, $2. 

Moulton, R. G. Shakespeare as a Dramatic Artist. Ed. 3. 
Clarendon Press, $1.90. 

Bradley, A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy. Macmillan, $3.25. 

Brink, B. T. Five Lectures on Shakespeare. Holt, $1.25. 

Coleridge, S. T. Lectures on Shakespeare. (Bohn's Stan- 
dard Library.) Macmillan, $1. 

Ulrici, H. A. Shakespeare's Dramatic Art. 2v. Macmillan, 
each $2. 

Smith, D. N. Eighteenth Century Essayists on Shakespeare. 
Macmillan, $3. 

Contains Morgan's essay on the dramatic character of Sir 
John Falsrtaff. 

Snider, D. J. Shakespeare's Histories. Sigma Pub. Co., $1.50. 

Corson, H. An Introduction to the Study of Shakespeare. 
Heath, $1. 

Hazlitt, W. Lectures on the Age of Elizabeth and Charac- 
ters of Shakespeare's Plays. (Bohn's Standard Li- 
brary) Macmillan, $1. 

Gives most unfavorable view of Henry V. 

Hudson, H. N. Shakespeare, his Life, Art, and Characters. 
2v. Ginn, $4. 

Baker, G. P. The Development of Shakespeare as a Drama- 
tist. Macmillan, $1.75. 

Warner, B. E. Famous Introductions to Shakespeare's Plays. 
Dodd, $2.50. 



23 



THEORY OF DRAMATIC ART 

Schelling, F. The English Chronicle Play. Macmillan, $2. 
Freytag. G. The Technique of the Drama. Scott, $1.50. 
Price, W. T. The Technique of the Drama. Brentano, $1.50. 
Hennequin, A. The Art of Play AVriting. Houghton, $1.25. 
Butcher, S. H. Aristotle's Theory of Poetry and Fine Art 

with a Critical Text and Translation of the Poetics. 

Ed. 3. Macmillan, $4. 
For advanced students. 



REFERENCE BOOKS 

Clarke, M. C. & C. C. The Shakespeare Key. Scribner, $7.50. 

Bartlett, J. Concordance to Shakespeare. Macmillan, $1.50. 

Abbott, E. A. Shakespearean Grammar. New ed. Mac- 
millan, $1.50. 

Schmidt, A. Shakespeare Lexicon. 2v. Lemcke, $8. 

Dowden, B. Introduction to Shakespeare. Scribner, 75c. 

Fleming, W. H. How to Study Shakespeare. 4v. Double- 
day, each $1. 

Corson, H. Introduction to the Study of Shakespeare. 
Heath, $1. 

Dyer, T. F. T. Folk-lore of Shakespeare. Harper, $2.50. 

Barnard, F. P. Companion to English History in the Middle 
Ages. Clarendon Press, $2.90. 

Oman, C. The Art of War in the Middle Ages. Putnam, $4.50. 



SUPPLEMENTARY READING 

Clarke, M. C. The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines. 

Scribner, $3. 
Rolfe, W. J. Shakespeare the Boy. Harper, $1.25. 
Black, C. W. Judith Shakespeare. Harper, $1.25. 
Bennet, J. Master Skylark. Century, $1.50. 
Jameson, A. B. Characteristics of Women. Houghton, $1.25. 
Lamb, C. & M. Tales from Shakespeare. Macmillan, $1. 



24 



Marlowe, C. Edward Second. (Temple Dramatists.) Mac- 
millan, 45c. 

Note— This play is easily found. Its importance lies in the 
fact that Marlowe was the first to adopt the material found 
in chronicles, history plays, etc., to the form of dramatic art. 
This play, probably produced in 1590, seems to be the model 
from which Shakespeare first learned his own greater art. 

THE READING OF CRITICISM 

Students are earnestly requested not to read discussions 
of the plot or structure of these plays or of the characters in 
them, until the conclusion of the work suggested in Topics 
for Study. After the student has become familiar with the 
text of the play and has by study and comparison defined 
her own impressions of characters or plot, the reading of 
critical essays will suggest other opinions for comparison 
with those gained at first hand from the text. The reading 
of discussions of literature of which one is ignorant makes 
little impression on the mind, and succeeding opinions, if 
different, displace those first read, since the reader has no 
reliable means of judging between them. 



25 



THE STUDY OF SHAKESPEARE'S 
KING HENRY FIFTH 



Throughout the study of this play, it is well to mark pass- 
ages of especial beauty, passages which hare become familiar 
through quotation, and unusual or archaic words; also the 
plot elements in each scene. 

. TOPICS FOR STUDY 

SECTION I. PRELIMINARY 

1. Genealogical tables showing Henry's descent from French 
blood. Had any other living heir of English blood better 
claim to the crown of France than Henry through this descent? 
See King Henry Fifth, Arden edition, p. 226. 

2. A table showing possessions held by England during each 
reign since the conquest. 

References : Gardiner's Historical Atlas of English History, 
or any good history of England. 

3. For a chronological outline of the historical events of the 
reign of Henry Fifth see King Henry Fifth, Arden edition, 
p. 223. 



26 



Preliminary French History: 

4. When had the battles of Crecy and of Poitiers been fought? 
Between what rulers? 

5. What had been won and what lost in each of these 
battles? 

6. When was the treaty of Bretigny signed? What were the 
terms of the treaty? Show on the map the possessions of 
England in Prance after this treaty. 

7. What was the state of the kingdom of France at the be- 
ginning of Henry's reign? 

8. What were the first marriage proposals made by Henry 
to France? For what bride? 

9. a. Why did Henry revive the claim to the crown as- 

serted by Edward III? 
b. In what lay the weakness of his own claim? 

10. What, in virtue of his claims, did Henry demand of 
France in 1415? 

The Character of King Henry Fifth at the Beginning of his 
Reign : 

11. How old was Henry V. when he was crowned? 

12. Indications of Henry V.'s character in previous plays, 
with references, and quoted lines. 

13. Indications of natural ability and of judgment in dealing 
with men. 

14. Of training, and of skill in selecting men. 

15. Compare the son with the father, showing weak points 
and strong points of each. 

For the character of Prince Henry in history, see references 
under topic 42, p. 53, in the second part of King Henry 
Fourth. See also Stubbs's Constitutional history England, v. 3, 



27 

chap. XVllL, sec. 321; also Kingsford's Henry V., chap. VI., 
and Church's Henry the Fifth, chap. I-V. 

16. What were the historical reasons for the disfavor in 
which the prince was, in the year before his father's death? 

17. What difficulties, historically, had Henry V. to meet on 
his accession? 

18. In what lay the strength of the young king at the time 
of his coronation? 

19. Historically, in the first year of Henry V., there were 
three or four measures for which he was directly responsible, 
which indicate his policy and strength; what were these 
measures? Explain the special significance of each. 

Spp -il-^o Stubbs's Con^nUdlonal History of England, chap. XVIII, sec. 
321 f also Kingsford's Henry V., chap. VI, and Church's Henry the 

^'^4oTF— Bri^t's HMoro of Enclawl, is a most useful book on all 
questions of fact. See also Gairdner's The Houses of Lancaster and 
York, and lives of Henry V. 

20. Historically, what provision did Henry make for the 
administration of his kingdom during his absence? For the 
transportation of the expedition to France? 

21. How did he raise the money necessary for this expedi- 
tion? See especially Stubbs's and Bright's histories of Eng- 
land. 

22. When did Henry sail? From what port? 

Note. — For a map of this expedition, see Gairdner's The Houses of 
Lancaster and York, p. 101. 

SECTION II. THE CALL TO ARMS 

The Prologue: 

23. a. What was the general purpose of a prologue in 

ancient times? Why is the prologue no longer 
used on the modern stage? 



2S 



b. What took the place of the prologue in the early- 

Elizabethan drama? 

c. How has the prologue been represented in the re- 

vivals of Henry Fifth? See Arden edition, Intro- 
duction, and Notes. 

d. Make a memorandum of all the points Shakespeare 

had in mind to include in his prologue. 
Act 1: 

24. When and where does act 1 open? 

25. How long an interval had elapsed since the death of 
Henry IV? 

26. What was the bill referred to by Canterbury? Which 
party in England supported it? Did the king favor the bill? 

27. What was the Bishop's plan for preventing the passage 
of the bill? 

28. On what points did Henry consult the bishops? 

29. What is the Salic law? In what nations of Europe has 
the succession been determined by the Salic law? What was 
the custom in France, in this century? See Gibbon's History 
of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, v. 2, (index) 
and Notes, v. 5; also note opposite Map xx. in Macoun's His- 
torical Geography. 

30. Did the claim of Edward III. arise under the Salic law? 

31. What is your opinion of the argument presented to 
Henry on this point? If you think it weak, wherein lies the 
weakness? If valid, in what is its strength? 

32. Why did Henry renew this claim at this time? In what 
lay the weakness' of his own claim In com])arison with that 
of Edward III? 



29 

33. Did Henry's question, 1. 76, scene 2, indicate conscientious 
scruples, or how do yo.i explain it? 

34. What was the relation between ScotlaaJ and England, 
at this time? 

35. Where was the Douglas v/ho had been released after 

Shrewsbury? 

36. AVhy did Henry consult with his bishops before giving 
audience to the ambassadors? Did his decision to provoke 
a war depend upon their advice? What was' Henry's personal 
motive in the war? Did he expect to gain the crown of 
France? Did he seek personal glory? Bring reasons in sup- 
port of your opinion. 

37. a. Why had these ambassadors from France come to 

the English court? 

b. What are the plot elements in the interview with 

the ambassadors-? 

c. To what was the misconception of the French due? 

38. In what is the beginning of this play dependent on events 
in King Henry Fourth! 

The Plot: 

39. What, in the first scene, indicates and defines the char- 
acter of the main action of this drama? 

40. What important steps in the main plot do you find in 
the second scene? 

41. What was Henry's personal ambition, or motive, in en- 
tering on this war? 

NOTF— Consider here the reasons for making war, which Hazlitt 
attiibntert to Henrv V. and find in Shakespeare's plays, if you are 
able, reasonable ground for a different opinion. 

42. What antecedent act of Henry's is important in this act? 



30 



43. In what is the beginning of the dramatic action of this 
play? 

44. Summarize the most important points in the develop- 
ment of the plot in act 1, and state carefully all elements 
of the "dramatic situation" at its close. 

45. What secondary purposes had Shakespeare in mind ia 
act 1? 

46. What, in the answer of the French ambassadors, angered 

Henry? 

Note. — An account of the reception of these ambassadors is given 
in Henry Fifth, by Church, p. 55. 

47. Are the tennis balls an element in the plot? 

SECTION III. SETTING FORTH 

The Prologue: 

48. a. Why, in this play, is the Prologue made to appear 

before each act? 

b. What information essential to the plot of this drama 

is announced by the prologue to act 2? 

c. What was' the attitude of the English people toward 

this war? 
Act 2: 

49. Are scenes 1 and 3 interludes for the amusement of the 
audience, or are they an essential part, dramatically, of act 
2? Find the reasons for your opinion in the plot of this act. 

50. What secondary purpose do you find in these scenes? 

51. Did Shakespeare intend the reader to understand that 
Falstaff really died of a broken heart? Why is his death 
given here? 



31 



■52. What was' Shakespeare's reason for not continuing Fal- 
staff throughout this play? 

53. What is the relation of these scenes to the expedition to 
France? 

54. What is the reason, dramatically, for the incident of the 
man who railed against the king? 

55. What reason had Richard, Earl of Cambridge, for en- 
gaging in a conspiracy agains the king? 

56. What is the dramatic reason for the preliminary scene 
in which the king asked advice of the conspirators? 

57. Which of these men had the king most trusted? Why? 

58. Were the men around the king prepared for his manner 
of dealing with the conspirators? 

•59. Compare the course of Henry V., at this time, with that 
of his father. Henry IV., vv'hen he found himself in the midst 
of conspirators. Note that the position of the king in this 
reign differed from that of his father; who must exercise 
royal power under conditions arising from the manner in 
which he had obtained the crown? 

60. W^hat part of scene 2 would be most effective on the 
stage? Why? At what point in scene 2 should there be aside 
acting to accompany the words and directions given in the 
text? 

61. Give all plot elements in scene 2 ? 

62. In scene 2, which plot element is dramatically of greatest 
significance with reference to the acts to come? 

63. As indirectly revealed in scene 2, what characteristics 
did Henry V. desire in the man whom he would trust? 

64. Is this the English ideal of Statesmanship? 



32 



Scene 4: 

65. What was the attitude of the French towards the Eng- 
lish? 

66. To what did the French king refer in "late examples?" 

67. How many opinions of Henry are given in scene 4? 
What reason is given for each? 

68. In what is scene 4 dramatically dependent upon the 
previous play? 

■69. "What is the dramatic significance of Exeter's warning? 

70. Why is the English embassy introduced at the close of 
this' scene? 

71. What is the dramatic relation of this conspiracy to the 
war in France? To the main purpose of the play? 

72. What plot elements in scene 4 are of chief importance 
with reference to the dramatic action? Why? 

73. What is the "dramatic situation" at the close of act 2? 

74. In what is the main dramatic action really advanced in 
the second act? 

75. Compare act 2, King Henry Fifth, with act 2, Richard 
Second, and point out in what the second act of Henry Fifth 
fails of fulfilling the usual part of the second act in a drama. 
Do you find any reason for the unusual character of this sec- 
ond act in relation to the plot? 

76. Do you find, in this act, any especially significant in- 
dications of the future course of the plot of Henry Fifthl 



33 



SECTION IV. THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH 

'The Prologue: 

77. a. How long was the interval between the close of act 

2, and the beginning of act 3? 
b. What change of scene took place between act 2 and 

act 3? 
c. What special difficulties do this interval of time and 
the change of place present to the imagination? 

d. What information is given the audience by the 

chorus? What hints of coming events? Why? 

e. What steps essential to the continuation of the plot 

are given in this prologue? 

f. Does the speech of the chorus heighten interest in 

the third act, or lessen it? 
JPreliminary to Act 3: 

78. The English army in 1514. — 

a. What was its composition? 

b. In what part of it lay the real fighting strength? 

c. What weapons were used in battle? 

d. By what means were sieges carried on? 

e. How much and how were soldiers paid at this time? 

f. Who was responsible for the payment? 
Consult Traill & Mann, Social England, V. 2. 

g. How large was the army that Henry took to Har- 

fleur? 

h. From what English port did he sail? What means 

of transportation had he? 

Note. — For the navy, means of transportation, etc., see Traill & 
Mann's Social Engjand v. 2. under Navy. 

3 



34 



79. Historically, what events of importance took place in 
the interval between the events represented in these two acts 
in the play? 

80. What difficulties beset Henry after he landed in France? 

81. Describe, with a map, the movements of Henry and his 
army, and the siege, up to the first scene of this act? 

Act 3: 

82. Show for what reasons' Shakespeare chose the time and 
the scene given for the opening of the third act? 

83. In scene 1, which is of greater importance, the scene 
as it appears on the stage with the actors, or the speech of the 
king? How is one related to the other? 

84. This address shows three things of essential importance 
in the development of Shakespeare's main purpose in this 
play, — what are they? 

85. Up to this point, do you see any serious menace to the 
success of the expedition? 

86. In the dramatic plot, what is the purpose or meaning 
of scene 2 in relation to the act as a division of the play? 
There is also a secondary purpose, — what is it? 

87. What reason do you find for the introduction of different 
nationalities in this scene? 

88. Which of these characters is most amusing? Which is 
most famous? Why? 

89. What is the essential purpose and meaning of the king's 
long speech in scene 3? What plot elements in scene 3? 

90. What were the terms of surrender granted Harfleur, as 
given in history? 



35 



91. How were the inhabitants treated? 

■92. In the play, is the surrender of Harfleur the main pur- 
pose of act 3, or an incident in another main purpose? How 
do you show this? 

93. Why is the French lesson placed immediately after the 
surrender? 

94. What, if any thing, in previous parts of this play, or in 
the acting, would make evident the relation of this scene to 
the remainder of this act? 

Scenes 5, 6, 7: 

95. From these scenes, give a picture of the English and 

the lives they led, from the French point of view. 

Note. — Taine, in his English Literature, gives an interesting il- 
lustration of the French view of the Enlglish people. Reference, p- 
34, 36. 

96. What was the French opinion of the English army? 
Of Henry himself? Were there dissenting opinions? 

'97. In what points did Shakespeare characterize the English 
army? 

98. Why was the incident of the pillaging introduced? Was 
this incident historical? 

99. In what respects has Shakespeare tried in previous acts 
to give this expedition the character of a Crusade? Why? 

100. Trace this thread of preparation and interpretation from 
the beginning of the play. 

101. Compare the French King's appeal to his officers in 
scene o with Henry's address to his soldiers in scene 1. 

a. In patriotism. 

b. In sentiment. 

c. In effectiveness. 

Analyze, giving points and reasons. 



36 



102. What ideals, motives, were dominant in the minds of 
the French? In the minds of the English? 

103. What is' the dramatic effect in the play of this contrast? 

104. What is the dramatic reason for the arrangement of 
scenes 6 and 7 in sequence? 

105. What points of contrast between English and French 
are emphasized in these scenes? 

106. What forca&ts of coming events do you find in these 
scenes? 

107. For each scene of act 3, in succession, give: 

a. In outline, all plot elements. 

b. The purpose of each scene in the dramatic action 

of the act. 

c. The relation of each scene to the scene which pre- 

cedes, or follows, or both. 

108. What is the dramatic situation at the close of act 3? 

109. What reasons for confidence had the French? 

a. What dangers or difficulties threatened Henry an^ 

his army at the close of act 3? 

b. Did Shakespeare minimize these difficulties', or 

exaggerate them? Why? Compare with his- 
torical accounts. 

110. What was the King of England trying to do? On what 
did his chance of success depend? 



37 



SECTION V. THE FIELD OF AGINCOURT 

TJie Prologue: 

111. a. What is the difference between the part of the 

chorus at the beginning of act 3 and the purpose 
it fulfills at the beginning of act 4? 

b. What characteristics of the scene described are given 

by the chorus? 

c. What feelings or expectations in the audience would 

be excited by the words of the chorus here? 

d. Analyze the speech of the chorus into principal parts 

and explain the dramatic reason for each point 
touched upon. 
Act 4: 

112. When did scene 7, act 3, close? 

113. What is the time of scene 1, act 4? 

114. What was Henry's real opinion about the issue of the 
coming battle? On what did he chiefly depend for victory? 

115. In scene 1, act 4, Shakespeare is creating a background 
for the action that follows: 

a. What was the attitude of the men in the army to- 

ward the King? Toward the expedition? 

b. In what did the King's sense of responsibility 

chiefly consist? 

c. In Kemble's revival of Henry Fifth, in 1789, the 

sound of the trumpet interrupted the King's 
prayer; what would be the dramatic effect of 
this arrangement? 



38 



116. Contrast the French camp on the eve of the battle with 
the English camp; what differences do you note? Were these 
due to the situation, or to difference in temperament in the 
English and the French? 

117. How does Shakespeare convey an idea of the progress 
and character of the battle? 

118. The battle of Agincourt in history: 

a. Location, and the map of the field. 

b. Situation of the armies; which position was' the 

stronger? 

c. Relative size and equipment of the armies. 

d. How long a time did the battle last? 

e. How many were slain on each side Is the histor- 

ical report credible? 

f. What was the result of this' battle? 

119. What points in the historical account of the battle are 
clearly set forth in the drama? 

120. What points fail of presentation, or are historically 
inaccurate, in the drama? 

121. Are the differences due to the historical source used 
by Shakes'peai'e, or to the necessities of dramatic art? See 
the Arden edition, and English History in Shakespeare^s Plays, 
by Warner. 

122. Was the order for the killing of the prisoners his- 
torical? What was the reason for it? 

123. What was us-ually done with prisoners in that age? 

124. What was Shakespeare's reason for passing over this 
incident so lightly? Why did h'e not omit it altogether? 

125. What is the dramatic significance in this play, of the 
services in the church? 



39 



Note.— Henry V.'s poinjt of view in this war is illustrated by the 
words attributed to him after the victory of Agiincourt by Guizot. 
When the King heard that the Duke of Orleans, defeated and wounded, 
would neither eat nor drink, he went to llini ana said, "Cousin, 
make good cheer: if God has granted me grace to gain the victory, I 
know it is not owing to my deserts; I believe that God wished to 
punish the French; and if all I have heard is true, it is no wonder, 
for they say that never were seen disorder, licentiousness, sins, and 
vices like what is going on in France just now. Surely God did well 
to he angry." In the historical accounts of this victory it is evident 
that it lay upon the conscience of the King to return thanks for aid 
received from God. He at once sent a messenger to London carrying 
an order for a "Te Deum" and a procession from St. Paul's to West- 
minster. On his homeward journey, he halted at every important 
shrine and gave thanks, and when he landed went at once to the 
shrine of St. Thomas in Canterbury, and afterwards to St. Paul's and 
to Westminster, with offerings and services befitting. 

126. What part does the incident of the glove play in this 
act? 

127. At the close of act 4, is there any important element of 
the dramatic action or plot still incomplete? 

128. What is the "situation" at the close of act 4? 



SECTION VI. THE FRUIT OF VICTORY 

129. How long, historically, was the interval between the 
battle of Agincourt and the treaty of Troyes? 

130. How is this' time accounted for, in the play? 

131. What was Shakespeare's reason for connecting this 
treaty with the battle of Agincourt? 

132. Present, in outline, the movements of Henry in this 
interval as given in history, and also the events' of importance 
in the history of England; of France. 

133. Why did Shakespeare begin act o with the scene in 
camp? 

134. Is there any indication of the interval of time that has 
passed in the scenes of act 5? What impression did 
Shakespeare intend to give the audience? Why? 



40 



The Treaty of Troyes: 

135. a. V/hat previous attempts to agree had been made by- 

Henry and the French King? Give the terras 
proposed each time, and note why each attempt 
to make a treaty had failed. 

b. Where is Troyes? 

c. What terms- of treaty did Henry demand? 

d. Would France have granted these terms immedi- 

ately after the battle of Agincourt? 

e. The king of France was insane; who was virtual 

ruler? 

f. What change had recently taken place? 

g. Where was the Dauphin? 

h. "Which clause of this treaty was most objectionable 

to the French"? 
i. How came the treaty to be signed? 

136. What is the great defect of act 5 as a separate act? 
Could this defect have been remedied? Suggest what would 
have been necessary to change the character of this act and 
what relation to the remainder of the play this change would 
have borne? 

SECTION VII. GENERAL TOPICS 

I. The divergencies from historical sources found in this 
play are given in the introduction to the Arden edition; find 
the reas'on in the dramatic action, — 

a. For divergencies in time and place. 

b. For divergencies in the persons of the play, and 

for alterations affecting character. 

c. For the introduction of new characters, or incidents. 



41 



Note. — This topic requires note-book work. Each divergence 
Bbould be set down and the connectiorf with the plot, reasons, and 
illustrations, should be given analytically. 

II. Discuss the character of King Henry V. in the play: 

a. As a statesman. 

b. As a leader. 

c. As a man. 

d. As Shakespeare's ideal of an English king. 

e. How many times, in the play King Henry Fifth, 

are we reminded of Prince Hal? 

III. The character of King Henry V. as discussed by critics 
of Shakespeare's play. 

IV. What is the great defect in King Henry V. as a dra« 
matic hero? 

V. a. Critics sometimes call King Henry Fifth epic, rather 

than dramatic; what epic qualities do you find in 
this play? 

b. What dramatic qualities' do you find in the play? 

How do you test the dramatic power and unity of 
a play written for acting? 

c. What is the difference between the epic and the dra- 

matic hero? 

VI. What is the great defect in the drama of Henry Fifth 
as a stage play? 

VII. What limitations characterizing the Elizabethan 
drama, are illustrated in Henry Fifth. Consult especially 
the utterance of the Prologue. 

VIII. Critics disagree in regard to the quality of this play. 
Hazlitt asserts that the general spirit of the play is to the ef- 
fect that "might was right," in the age of Henry V. Other 



42 



critics consider this play a great epic. What is your opinion? 
What are the reasons for your conclusion? 

IX. On what, chiefly, did Shakespeare depend for interest 
in Henry Fifth? 

X. If Henry Fifth is the last of a series beginning with 
Richard Second, 

a. What is the subject of the series? 

b. What is the purpose of each play in the series? 

c. Which play in the series excels in unity? What 

is your test? 

d. Which play excels in dramatic qualities? 

e. Name and define the dramatic qualities that you 

find illustrated in these plays. 

f. Which play excels in literary qualities? 

g. Name and select illustrations of the literary quali- 

ties you find in these plaj^. 

h. Compare these plays in interest, testing each for 
(1) interest in the plot; (2) interest in single 
scenes; (3) interest in characters. 

i. Which one of these plays is most effective and suc- 
cessful on the stage? Why? 

j. Which ones may be called "closet plays"? For what 
reasons? 

XI. What do you think Shakespeare's chief characteristics 
in the presentation of character? Select the character which 
seems to you best to illustrate his treatment and show tlirough 
definite analysis and illustration his method. 



43 

XII. The Historical Plays as an Expression of English Ideals 
and Patriotism: 

Select from the begiuniiig of tho series, passages which 

glorify England, exalt patriotism, or the ideals of English 

character; such passages, as, "This royal throne of kings, this 

sceptered isle," etc. Richard 8evo7icl, act ii, scene i. 

Note. — These pas.sages are the most remarkable expres.sioa of the 
English spirit of courage, loyalty, aud patriotism in the language, 
and many poets have since repeated Shakespeare's glorious aud noble 
verse in changed form aud phrase. Among these, in recent years, 
is Kipling, whose Soiign of the Seceii Seas, contain many verses ia 
the spirit of Shakespeare's Hues. 

XIII. If King Henry V. is intended to express the English 
ideal of royalty and the essential characteristics of the true 
English spirit, 

a. What characteristics should the ideal King possess? 

b. "What qualities do the English most admire? 

XIV. Literary Qualities in the Written Brania of Henry 
Fifth : 

a. What passages, familiar through reference and 

quotation, have you found in Henry Fifth? 

b. Distinguish Euphuistic and Euphemistic, as quali- 

ties of style. 

c. By what tests do you recognize euphemism? 

Note. — For tests, see dictionaries, especially the Oxford Diction- 
ary, and the discussion of tlie styles of Henry Fifth in Brandes' 
S?ial-e^peare. v. 1. p. 49-53 : v. i!, p. 17-10. The study of the 
topics suggested here is for readers interested in the literary quali- 
ties of this play. Students of Elizabethan literature, or of literary 
criticism, will undertake a much more fundamental and wide study 
of this and similar topics. 

d. In Henry Fifth, select throughout the play all 

passages that plainly appear euphuistic, or 
euphemistic, in style. 

e. What was Shakespeare's purpose in employing this 

style? 



44 



Note. — If practicable, illustrative passages from writers of 
Shakespeare's day, showing the frequent and extravagant use of this 
style, should be sought for comparison. Also, a paper written on 
this topic prepared by some member of the class, would be in point 
here, and instructive. 

XV. Artistic Elements in the Play: 

These may be in the arrangement of scenes, or in the 
adaptation of part to part, ol" in any device, or means of ex- 
pression that serves to illustrate, adorn, or emphasize, fitly, 
elements of the play in themselves of importance. An artistic 
quality must in itself be an adornment, must result from com* 
bining parts aptly and significantly, or from an expression 
that conveys meaning symbolically; or it may consist in such 
an arrangement of parts' that those of deep meaning are set 
forth vv^ith greater poignancy, or with heightened charm, by 
their relation with other parts that seem, perchance, coincident, 
or no more than a setting. An artistic element of a scene or 
or a narrative should always seem to glance upon and suggest 
deeper matters. An illustration is found in the mention of 
possible danger from the Scot, act 1, scene 2. The fact of 
danger is the point of importance; that it is first hinted by 
the young king, is an artistic and significant arrangement of 
parts. 

a. Select throughout this play notable artistic quali- 
ties, of whatever kind, and in presenting, 
analyze the parts' of scenes, passages, etc., so 
far as to show in what relations, or arrange- 
ment of parts, the elements of artistic qualit'^ 
lie. 



45 



b. There are at least four passages or scenes in this 
play notable for artistic qualities, — what are 
they? Which of these do you consider the most 
artistic, well arranged passage, part, or scene 
in King Henry Fifth? Show by analysis and 
explanation, why. 
XVI. Remarkable passages: 

Select the passage, in this play, which you think most 
remarkable, — 

a. As an extended comparison, or figure of speech. 

b. For figurative and suggestive phrases. 

c. For point of view, or vision. 

d. As a scene. 

e. As an expression of noble sentiment, purpose, or 

thought 

f. For heroic beauty. 

g. Kazlitt mentions three prose passages in this play, 

as the most remarkable, — ^select your own for 
reason, and afterward compare with his selec- 
tion. 

NoTB. — Each critic has his own most beautiful or remarkable pas- 
sages, but no two agree in all. Comparison of passages selected as 
illustrations of different qualities, by a number of well known crit- 
ics, especially by Hazlitt. Coleridge, Brandes, Wendell, etc., may be 
made after each has made her own selections. 



46 



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The Study of the Historical Plays of Shakespeaee. 
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and Part II. 
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